uncanny valley

American  

[uhn-kan-ee val-ee] / ʌnˈkæn i ˈvæl i /

noun

1. 1. a psychological concept that describes the feelings of unease or revulsion that people tend to have toward artificial representations of human beings, as robots or computer animations, that closely imitate many but not all the features and behaviors of actual human beings.

   2. the dip in positive feelings toward such artificial representations.

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Etymology

Origin of uncanny valley

1970; coined by Masahiro Mori, Japanese roboticist (born 1927), from Japanese bukimi no tani (genshō) “uncanny valley (phenomenon)”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

uncanny valley

The uncanny valley is live for consumption, for free, at No. 300 on the Roku Channel’s Live TV Guide.

From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026

A robot that looks human but behaves differently is creepy, an effect known as the uncanny valley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Each 11-minute episode follows mundane escapades, like hosting a movie night or getting in a hot tub, punctuated by a somewhat disturbing art style and clumsy-on-purpose animation that strays into the uncanny valley.

From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2025

Tom Hanks working with ‘Polar Express’ director Robert Zemeckis in ‘Here’ could leave us in the uncanny valley or get him another Oscar nod.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024

Individuals further reported an "uncanny valley" response -- a sense of unease when made aware that the empathetic response originated from AI, highlighting the complex emotional landscape navigated by AI-human interactions.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 11, 2024